Barnett Shale Windfall to Wind Power - Part 1

The Barnett Shale formation is a natural gas formation under much of north Texas. With new "fracturing" techniques, it is now possible to extract natural gas from this formation which has been under the feet of Texans for over a century. Now, we have the technology to get it. Better yet, people who saw the oil boom pass them by decades ago are now dusting off their mineral rights paperwork so they can cash in on the new natural gas boom. Mineral rights range from $500 to $50,000 an acre. The value depends on how much gas is under your property, whether you let them drill there, whether you let them build pipes through your property, and other infrastructure variables (proximity to an existing pipe).

As two engineers, Kent Britain (aka "Dad") and I had discussed self-sufficiency all of my life. His home was built with extra insulation, low wattage lights and many other energy saving measures long before it was a high priority for others. Dad owns over an acre over the Barnett Shale. His decision? To take the Barnett Shale windfall and use the money to fund a wind power project instead.